


The Catch Is Living

by ihopethelightwillshineupon



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Gen, Hurt Alphonse Elric, Hurt Edward Elric, Mute Alphonse Elric, Some violence and gore but not too graphic, Takes place right after Ed and Al tried to bring their mom back, Younger characters, Zombie AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 06:11:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19101313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ihopethelightwillshineupon/pseuds/ihopethelightwillshineupon
Summary: Human transmutation was a means to bring back the dead. Upon coming back, though, these dead would be different from what they were when they were alive – they became ‘undead’, if you will.Human transmutation… wasn’t just a taboo for ethical reasons. It was also strictly forbidden because of the threat that transmuted humans posed. A dangerous infection that they carried.Edward and Alphonse did not know about this danger. They learned, though, through the bites on Ed’s arm and leg, and the equal exchance that was left incomplete.A Fullmetal Alchemist Zombie AU.





	The Catch Is Living

**Author's Note:**

> So, I noticed that Zombie AUs aren't the most popular thing. That did not stop my creative spirit in the least.
> 
> Please enjoy this little idea that just wouldn't let me go.

_Screaming. Ed was screaming. That was the first thing he realized._

_The second thing he realized, was that he wasn’t screaming in excitement, as he’d expected. He was screaming in fear._

_Oh, how they’d looked forward to seeing their mother again. That was all they’d been thinking of for such a long while – Ed and his brother Al. They had never thought that they’d see her again like this._

_The human transmutation had been succesful. There she was, their beautiful mother, sitting in front of the two brothers. But then why were they horrified? Why were they scared?_

_Because they knew that this… this creature, this thing…_

_It wasn’t their mother._

_It had her face, but the softness in her eyes was gone. It had the same mouth, but her smile was replaced by a snarl. It wore her clothes, the same pastel pink, but her arms and legs were twisted into some horrible shape._

_Ed could do nothing but stare at what they had created._

_Unfortunately, the creature stared back._

_Faster than Ed could follow, the mangled arms and legs had carried the monster to his side. Alphonse staggered backwards, but he didn’t need to; the monster’s focus was directed solely at Ed. It looked at him, almost curious, only centimeters from his face. For a second, Ed thought that he saw a glimpse of his mother’s old self in the creature’s eyes._

_His throat was already sore before he had even spoken. “Mom?”_

_That single word was an enormous mistake._

_Ed didn’t realize what the look in the creature’s eyes had meant until it was too late. The look…_

_It had meant hunger._

_The monster let out a horrible shriek, almost deafening to Ed’s young ears. Then, again with lightning-fast movements, it buried its face in Ed’s upper arm._

_The boy had never felt such pain. He could feel teeth rip apart the fabric of his shirt, then his skin, then muscles. Blood gushed up and drenched his clothes._

_He was left after one bite, but it was enough to completely incapacitate him. He couldn’t breathe, he realized. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t--_

_But when his head rolled to the side and he saw the monster stalk towards his younger brother, air suddenly gulfed back into his lungs. Al was utterly helpless. His eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head, that’s how big they were._

_Ed had to do something._

_He was in some awful pain. It felt as if he had been set on fire. And all he could think about, was that he didn’t want his brother to feel the same._

_With all the strength in his eleven-year-old body, he pulled himself upright. With all the focus that he had, he drew a transmutation circle on the floor, in his own blood. He had been prepared to trap the monster in the floor. It was a sound plan. But he couldn’t do it._

_Because, even though she had just bitten him… it still felt like she was his mother._

_He almost hesitated for too long. His mother had cornered Al. She was preparing to lunge at him. Ed was quicker._

_At the very last moment, he slapped his hands down on the transmutation circle and saved his brother. The monster was trapped in the floor, half of her above the wood, shrieking angrily._

_Ed crawled over to his brother, who had pressed himself into the corner, sobbing. They held each other as Ed mumbled apologies._

_“I’m so sorry, Al… I made us do this… This was never what I meant to do…”_

_Al only nodded every once in a while – he was obviously still terrified. Silence fell as they listened to their mother’s growls._

_“Brother,” Al then whimpered, “we have to go. I don’t want to stay here.”_

_Ed nodded. He, too, wanted to leave and forget as much of this as possible. Maybe they could go over to Winry’s. He was sure she’d understand, even though she’d probably hit him for invading her house in the middle of the night._

_He almost smiled at how familiar that seemed._

_Ed dragged himself upright. His arm had gone painfully stiff, but somehow didn’t hurt as much as before. That wasn’t weird. After Mom had just died, he had felt nothing for weeks on end as well._

_He held his brother’s hand as they passed the growling monster in the floor. They were slow, careful. Not careful enough._

_At some point, Al tugged on Ed’s hand. The older Elric quickly spun around and saw that their mother had grabbed Al’s shoe. He also saw that the floor was rapidly beginning to crack all around the creature._

_She was pulling herself out._

_Ed didn’t think. He only acted. He only rushed towards his younger brother and roughly pushed him aside. He didn’t want to hurt him. He just didn’t want him to be in his way._

_He had pushed Al harder than he had meant to. The boy fell and slammed his head against the wall. He went limp immediately._

_“Al!” Ed yelled, but couldn’t afford to keep his attention on his brother for long. The monster had grabbed Ed’s ankle in the short confusion. He tried to pull himself loose, but to no avail – the claw may have had beautiful round nails and soft skin, but it was almost ridiculously strong._

_The floor was cracking even quicker, now. The wood splintered around the monster’s neck and around the hand that was holding Ed’s leg. There was nothing he could do. He was trapped._

_Mom pulled herself up and, in one smooth motion, sank her teeth into Ed’s calf._

_That was all he could remember before he passed out from the pain._

* * *

 

“Al? Is that you?”

It was the next morning, very early – the sun hadn’t even risen yet. Edward was sitting on the front porch of the Rockbells’ house. He had woken up in the house, with no clue how he had gotten there. His wounds were bandaged and ached too much to fall back asleep. He had gone outside, hoping that the chilly air would calm his nerves. And cool down his skin. He must be getting sick. Not that he cared much.

Al had been lying in the same room as Ed – the guest room, where they’d often sleep over. Ed couldn’t bear to look at him for long. His brother had suffered a head wound from when Ed had pushed him. Another thing that was just his fault. The list must be meters long at this point.

It was indeed Al, that had walked up to him. He didn’t say anything, just sat down next to Ed in silence, on the same stairstep. A circle of blood had soaked through the bandage on his head; it stared Ed right in the face, like an evil eye.

Ed swallowed. “Al?” he asked quietly. “Are you okay?”

Al moved to look his brother pitifully in the eyes. His eyes were dry, but the pain behind them was so awfully obvious. Ed carefully reached out to pull Al closer. “You don’t have to be okay,” Ed mumbled, trying to comfort Al. “That’ll happen later. Just… We’re going to get through this again. I promise. I’m sorry.”

Al reached back and cried into Ed’s shoulder. Tears soaked into the bandage and the pressure hurt, but Ed was determined not to let it show.

When the younger Elric’s sobs had quieted down into just shaking, Ed finally looked up. The sun was starting to rise over the countryside. He could swear that he saw the silhouette of a car in the bright light.

That was odd. You almost never saw cars in Resembool; the ground to drive on was too bumpy, unless you were rich enough to afford a really good car. Who could this be?

Ed softly shook his brother. “Hey, Al,” he said. “Look. A car. What’re they doing up so early?”

Al still said nothing. He just stared into the light with Ed, and watched as the car got closer and closer.

The older brother was starting to get a weird feeling about this. “Should we… go and warn Granny Pinako?” he asked uncertainly. After a short silence, he decided that it was best to just stay and not risk hurting his leg again.

The car – it was a black one – stopped on the country road, right in front of the Elrics. A door flew open, and a man with black hair and blue clothes emerged; behind him, more slowly, a blonde woman got out of the car, with similar clothing.

The man was clearly furious about something. He stalked right past the Elrics and slammed his fist down on the door a couple of times. Nothing happened – of course not.

Edward slowly got up, holding onto the railing of the stairs. “Uh, sir,” he said, “they’re still asleep in there.”

The man spun around. “Fine,” he said, loudly. “Maybe _you_ can help me out, then. Do you know the Elrics?”

Ed felt his body go cold, despite the warmth in his bones. “Yes.”

“Someone did something… absolutely horrible in there,” the man continued. “Do you know who could’ve done that?”

_Human transmutation. That must be what that man is talking about._ Ed observed him and realized with a shock that he recognized the man’s clothing as a military uniform. _They’ve come to lock me up for what I’ve done. They might even kill me on the spot. Who knows what’s going to happen._

_Maybe that’s for the best._

With a shiver in his voice, Ed replied: “It was me.”

He had to keep Al out of this. He didn’t do anything wrong. Ed was the one to commit the crime, alchemy’s one and only taboo, and now he’d pay.

The man’s eyes flared up with some sort of rage. He pulled Ed up by the front of his shirt – the shirt that he’d borrowed from Winry. The fabric tore a little at the seams, not used to bearing such a weight. Another apology that Ed would have to make.

Less than a second later, he was being yelled in the face. “Why?” the military man yelled at an impossible volume.

Ed knew that it was no use to try and explain. This was the sort of rare fury that he recognized from Teacher – a deaf fury, without ears to listen.

After a second of silence, in which the man panted directly into Ed’s face, a small hand pushed the man’s arm aside. Al writhed himself in between Ed and the military man, stared the man right in the face. Then, he gestured. One finger pointed at his own chest. Then a determined nod.

Me, too.

The man had little time to register that, because at that moment, the door to the Rockbell house opened. Ed had never been happier to see Granny Pinako, although she didn’t seem very happy at all. He was certain that he could actually hear her growl.

“Let go of my son!” she raged as she stomped nearer. To Ed’s slight amusement, he noticed that she actually startled the man. Granny, wearing a nightgown with flowers and being almost half the height of a normal adult, had intimidated a military officer! Despite himself, Ed found himself struggling not to laugh.

After a laughably uncertain look from the man, he finally put Edward down, surprisingly carefully. Ed put his hand on his shoulder; the sudden absence of pressure made his wound hurt. He was a little dizzy.

“Edward,” Granny said, once again ignoring her presumably important visitor. “Are you okay?”

Ed nodded silently, deciding not to make more trouble by talking. His Granny finally looked the military visitor in the face – she had to take a few steps backwards. “So,” she said sternly. “Who are you and why are you hurting my son at this hour in the morning?”

The man, and the woman he had taken with him, saluted at the same time. They both looked kind of shocked at the harsh words from the elderly woman, which almost made the saluting seem comedic. “My name is Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang, ma’am,” the man said, and, gesturing to the woman: “This is Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. We arrived here on a recruiting mission for two alchemists, the Elric brothers. They seemed like promising candidates for State Alchemists.” He exchanged a glance with the Second Lieutenant. “What we found, instead, was two children that committed a horrible crime.”

“Yes, two _hurt, grieving_ children looking for _peace_ from their _mistakes_.” Granny clearly thought that Mustang (Ed had already forgotten his rank) was deaf, with the way she stressed her words.

“Human transmutation is never an accident!” Mustang roared. “They clearly knew what they were doing!”

Ed took a step back, just in case he’d get grabbed by his shirt again. He bumped into the Second Lieutenant. Somehow, he wasn’t as scared of her. She radiated some sort of calm. Almost something motherly…

_No, no, no. Let’s put that thought away, somewhere very deep._ Ed couldn’t bear thinking of his mother, or any mother at all, right now. That _hurt_.

Before Granny could react to Mustang’s yelling – her temper could be almost just as short as she was – the Lieutenant spoke up. “If you don’t mind me asking, ma’am,” she said, “would you mind if we come inside? I have a feeling that this is a long story, and I wouldn’t want any of you to get sick, standing out here in the cold.”

* * *

 

In the following hour, Ed explained everything. Their mother’s passing. How he and his brother had been all alone. How they would love nothing more than to see their mother again, how they had heard of human transmutation and how they had been _stupid_ enough to try it. The result. How they had both gotten hurt in the process.

And that they wished with all of their souls that nothing of that had happened.

Al sat on the chair next to Ed, despite Granny’s warnings that he had a concussion and that he should go rest. Sometimes, he’d help Ed’s story with nodding or shaking his head, or interrupt him with surprisingly clear gestures.

Somewhere in the middle of his story, when Ed had gotten a little riled up, he had asked Granny why Al wouldn’t talk. It had earned him a hurt look from his brother, but he needed to know. He needed to know whether it was the result of Al hitting his head. He needed to know if this was his fault, too.

Granny had gone quiet. She said that guessing was the best she could do, and that she guessed that it was a mix of “internal trauma and blunt force trauma”. Of Al being hurt both on the inside and on the outside. She said that he’d speak again in his own time, but Ed knew that she just said that because Al was listening and she didn’t want to scare him. She genuinely didn’t know if Al would ever speak again – if she did, she would’ve given a clearer answer.

After that, Ed had mostly hidden behind the gross tea Granny had given him and let her tell the rest of the story. When everything was said and done, the two military remained quiet for a moment. Then, the man spoke. “When we saw the house, this morning,” he said, “there were obvious signs of human transmutation, but there was no beast like the one you described. What happened to it?”

Granny sighed. “I do not know,” she said. “I went there last night, because my granddaughter had noticed light in the house. I was prepared to chew the boys out for being up so late. Instead, I found them both unconscious in a huge mess, both of them attacked, with no sign of the creature that had done the damage. It must’ve fled the house at some point.”

Mustang’s eyebrows knitted together. “Was the creature strong?” he asked, a bit more urgent.

Edward recalled the grasp on his ankle, even though he didn’t want to. “Yeah.”

Mustang fidgeted with the buttons on his sleeves, almost as if he was panicking. “I had hoped that it’d been destroyed at some point,” he muttered. He stood up. “Lieutenant, we must take action _now._ Have you brought any weapons?”

“Always, sir.” The Lieutenant got up as well. To Ed’s surprise, they started to walk towards the door without a word.

“Hey! Wait!” It hurt to raise his voice. Somehow, it seemed way more tiring than it should be. He was definitely getting sick. “I don’t understand. What’re you going to do?”

After a second of thought, Mustang whirled around. “I’ve only seen one case of failed human transmutation, where the transmuted human got away,” he said, loudly. “Its bites spread some sort of infection. It turns people into mindless beasts like the creatures themselves. We must find it, and kill it before it bites anyone, otherwise this could get out of hand _very_ quickly.”

_Its bites… Infection… Mindless beasts…_

Mustang’s words echoed within Ed’s mind. Weak as he had felt up until that moment, it seemed to become ten times worse. Everything hurt. His vision blurred, and he could feel himself begin to fall.

“N-No…”

He fainted.

* * *

 

_“Hello, Edward Elric.”_

_Something was off about the voice that welcomed him into consciousness. It was as if he was hearing his own voice, but multiplied back to him many times, like how light works with many mirrors. Ed opened his eyes to see who had spoken._

_There was no one there._

_Well, there obviously was, but there wasn’t._

_Everything was white. Ed’s own skin radiated light. Right in front of him, standing like he stood, was a figure only represented by its shadow. It was there, but it didn’t have a form to break the light. Everything was very, very weird._

_And Ed recognized the figure._

_“You again,” he said impatiently. He had seen the ghostly person once before, when he fell unconscious in his own house after he had been bitten. The figure – Truth, as he called himself, among other, more boring names – had asked him to pay some sort of toll._

_Ed had been tired, and angry, and in pain. He had cried and raged until he had woken up. And now he was back here, although he’d thought he’d escaped._

_“Let me guess,” Ed continued. “You’re gonna start with that toll of yours again.”_

_The shadow around the Truth became a little darker. “Yes, Edward Elric,” he replied. He was pacing a little. “You thought you’d gotten away with transmuting a human without sacrificing something yourself. Equal exchange. You must know that rule by now, alchemist.”_

_“Yeah.” Ed didn’t feel like talking much._

_“At least your brother listened to me,” the Truth continued matter-of-factly. “He knew what he had to do, what he had to sacrifice. I took his voice.”_

_“You monster.” Ed was too tired to yell. “What’re you gonna take from me? It doesn’t matter that much. I’ll be a bloodthirsty creature in not too long, anyway. Take whatever you want.”_

_“Hm.” The Truth hummed to himself. “I know that, but it’s kinda boring. It’s no fun taking from humans who don’t learn from their mistakes.”_

_“How sad for you.” At least Ed wasn’t too tired for sarcasm. That’d be a real shame._

_Judging by the sound, the Truth was snapping his fingers – if he even had any – in a thoughtful rhythm. Snap. Snap snap. Snap. Snap snap._

_Ed was losing his patience. “Could you hurry up, please?” he hissed. “How long are you going to trap me here?”_

_Snap._

_Snap snap._

_Snap._

_“Edward Elric, I’ve made a decision.”_

_“Wow. Finally.”_

_“Your toll will be your arm and your leg.”_

_“I don’t care.” He cared a little._

_“With it, your infection will be taken away.”_

_Ed’s head snapped up. This conversation had suddenly gone in a whole new direction. “Are you serious?”_

_“Yes.”_

_“How do I know that you’re not lying?”_

_“Is my name not enough of a clue?”_

_Ed didn’t fully trust this. “What’s the catch?”_

_If the Truth could grin, this is when he would’ve done so. He was a bastard like that. “The catch is,” he said, “that you’ll have to live with everything you’ve done. And it won’t be easy. There’s some serious consequences waiting for you out there.” The amusement in his voice went up a notch. “And there’s no choice for you. I take what I must. Equivalent exchange.”_

_At that moment, Ed felt his toes and fingers began to tingle, as if they had fallen asleep. When he looked down to his foot, he noticed that it was falling apart into tiny little pieces that floated away in the air. Startled, he lost his balance, and fell on his butt. He tried to break his fall with his right hand, but it was no longer there._

_Everything happened so quickly. First, he lost his wrist, then his ankle, then slowly but surely his elbow. Nothing quite hurt yet. It didn’t start to hurt, either, and it was the most horrifying thing Ed had ever seen. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to look away._

_After what must’ve been a minute, or so, Ed could feel his shoulder and his hip begin to crumble. He didn’t know it was possible to feel this scared. He was finally starting to realize that he was actually losing his arm and his leg. He also realized that he was crying._

_He looked up to the Truth, who was gaining more and more of what Ed was losing. He seemed to be amusing himself very much, judging by the way he was chuckling._

_“What’s so funny?” Ed snapped, in an attempt to make himself feel less powerless._

_The Truth didn’t answer. Ed had to wait in silence until the numbness in his limbs had gone away. There was nothing left of his right arm and left leg. He couldn’t stand._

_“Edward Elric.” The Truth spoke again._

_“Yes?”_

_“Don’t make these mistakes again.”_

_That was the last thing Ed heard of the figure. He was dragged backwards by some different sort of shadow – more touchable. Little hands pulled at his hair and his clothes. He didn’t fight. He was too tired._

_Afterwards, there was only darkness. Ed was waiting for a long time, wondering if the Truth had pulled some sort of sick joke on him by taking his sight as well. Then, there was stuff to see._

_Oh, there was so much stuff to see. Images were slammed into Ed’s brain by force; there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had to keep watching, even when he closed his eyes. So much knowledge was crammed into the little space of his skull. He wondered if it was possible for his brain to become liquid and spill out of his face. If that was possible, it probably would’ve happened._

_He was screaming the whole time. He was screaming so intensely that, at first, he didn’t even notice he was screaming into a face._

* * *

 

“Edward! Oh, God, Ed… I promise it’ll be okay… You must be hurting so much…”

A familiar voice was speaking to him, but he couldn’t hear very well because there was so much noise. Ed didn’t realize that the noise came from his own sore throat.

His shoulder hurt. His hip hurt. When he finally stopped screaming and moved to wipe at his own face, he didn’t even register that he was trying to move a hand that wasn’t even there, anymore.

Winry – a name popped up from the jumble of his thoughts. Winry was there, talking to him. He had to comfort her – he knew how quickly she panicked.

He moved his head to the side to look his friend in the eyes and, miraculously, smiled. “Hey, Winry,” he said hoarsely. “I’m okay.”

Too late. She had already cried. Ed tried to talk more. “Have you been here for lo--” he began, but lost his voice in a coughing fit.

Winry wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I-I’ve seen…” Her voice trembled. “You fell apart, Ed.”

She’d seen him crumble. She had probably been there, right next to him, hoping to help. Ed could only hope that it didn’t look as terrifying in real life as it did in his own mind. Because fate was cruel, it probably looked exactly the same.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Winry smiled through her tears. “Of course you are.” She straightened up a little. “Granny’s coming to help you. You’re going to be okay.”

All of this talking and listening was taking its toll on Ed. He could feel himself start to black out again. But there was something important he had to say…

“Winry,” he said. “I’m- I’m not…”

He had to tell her. Why wouldn’t his voice cooperate?

“I’m not sick. I’m not… go-going to go crazy.” His eyes closed without his consent. “Please trust me…”

* * *

 

Waking up this time was a whole lot more difficult for Ed. There were multiple times that he tried so hard to open his eyes, but sank back into his restless sleep. When he finally woke up, he recognized the guest room. It was dark, but he could make out a form, sitting on the other bed. Ed squinted, trying to guess who it was.

“Who’s there?” he then called out. His voice was, surprisingly, stronger than the last time he’d heard it. His stabbing pain was also reduced to an annoying ache. Must be drugs.

The person on the other bed looked up. “It’s Second Lieutenant Hawkeye.”

Ed tried to repeat the title in his confusion, but choked on it. The woman laughed pleasantly for a moment before she said: “Please say Riza. It’s less of a tonguetwister.”

He didn’t say it. Instead, he asked: “Didn’t you leave?”

Riza sighed. “Yes,” she replied. “But the creature was quick. It was nowhere to be found. There’s a chance it’s already made its first victim…” She paused. “…aside from you, I suppose. We’re waiting for orders, now.”

After a second, she asked: “How are you so sure that you’re not infected? You were bitten, weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Ed replied, staring at the ceiling. “I was.” He swallowed. “Are you an alchemist?”

“No.”

“Then this might sound really strange to you,” Ed warned, “but I traded my arm and my leg to be healed.”

“That’s possible?”

“Let’s say that there were some _seriously_ weird circumstances,” he replied.

Riza was quiet. “I hope you’re right,” she said. “About being healed.”

“Yeah. Me, too. Being cured, well, cost me an arm and a leg.” He chuckled at his own joke – he didn’t even know that he could still do that, laugh.

A quiet moment followed, which was rudely interrupted by a loud slam and the sound of breaking glass. Ed jolted, sending a spike of pain through his stumps. Riza sprung up. In the light of the doorway, Ed noticed that she had been holding a gun the entire time.

Ed had to focus to hear the conversation between Mustang and Riza that took place right outside the door. The basic gist was that something had startled them both, and when Riza looked at it through the window, she came running back to the doorway to Ed’s dark room.

“Edward, I’m so sorry,” she said. She tried so hard to seem in control, but her voice betrayed that she was scared. “You need to get up, right now. We need to leave.”

“What? Why?” Ed couldn’t get up now. In fact, it might take a very long time before he could even sit up without passing out. What the hell was going on?

But Riza didn’t reply, didn’t explain. She rushed off, probably to find the rest of the people in the Rockbell house.

Ed was positively panicking. He was still attached to an IV, and he didn’t know what would happen if he got himself loose from it. He was already feeling light-headed again just from the fear.

He couldn’t get up. He couldn’t do this.

He needed help.

First, he called out to Granny – the most obvious choice. She didn’t respond. Neither did Winry, nor Al. When his voice was starting to fail him, he yelled Riza’s name, but to no avail. Hell, he even called for the Rockbells’ dog, but even she didn’t come.

He was being left here. The thought seemed impossible, but what if this was a case of life or death? Surely no one would hesitate to leave behind a burden like him, would they?

For the first time in a long time, Ed realized that he wanted to stay alive. He couldn’t go through so much hardship, just to die. That seemed like the worst anti-climax in the history of anti-climaxes.

So he screamed again. Not any specific name; just “help” at the top of his lungs. He was happy when he heard the door creak. Someone was coming to help him. Ed thanked some sort of God that he didn’t believe in.

He was too relieved, too early.

The person that had pushed against the door, wasn’t someone that came to help him. Ed didn’t even recognize the person’s face – it was too twisted to be recognizable at all. He dragged his feet across the floor, legs in horrible shapes, scratching the wall with the nails of one hand. In a different context, the sound it made could’ve sounded like whimpering. Now, it just sounded threatening and _wrong._

Ed couldn’t make any sound. He would’ve screamed for help again, but he knew that it wouldn’t work. His voice was used up and raw. He could do nothing but wait.

He grabbed the table lamp that stood behind him. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but maybe it would buy him some time. He lost faith in his plan quickly. He was too clumsy with his left hand to even hold the lamp properly – it was too heavy.

The monster had its eyes fixed on Ed. It was coming closer and closer. The boy could feel panic coarse through his veins. He had to try something. It was his only hope.

Unable to scream, unable to call for help, Ed smashed the lamp on the floor.

Apparently, the sound of breaking glass was enough.

It was as if Ed had called for an angel. He’d gotten a demon, but he was in no position to complain.

Mustang burst through the door, a gun in his hand. Within the blink of an eye, he shot the monster through the head. It came crashing down onto Ed’s bed, pinning him down on it. The pressure on his wounds almost made him cry out.

Mustang ran over quickly and dragged the monster off of Ed. “Are you okay?” he asked, and, without waiting for an answer, barked: “We have to go. It’s dangerous in here.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that,” Ed replied sarcastically, though he was incredibly relieved that someone had come to help him. With renewed courage, he pulled the IV from his arm and wrestled himself loose from the covers of his bed.

When the time to get up came again, though, he hesitated. Mustang, keeping guard at the door, snapped his head around at the silence. “Oh, for fuck’s sake…” He clearly possessed even less patience than Ed did. “Haven’t I told you it’s life and death right now? You hurry up, or you die.”

Some tears blurred Ed’s vision. He tried to sit up at least, but fell backwards immediately. His weak body couldn’t carry him. He had lost a little too much of everything – health, people, limbs.

“I can’t,” he mumbled; dignity was far behind him at this point. “I-I can’t get up. You need to help me.”

Mustang turned around, frowned. “Yes,” he then said. “Fine. But you need to work with me. I’m not strong, and I need one hand free to hold my gun.”

He hurried over to Ed’s side and pulled his arm over his shoulders. “Ready?”

Ed nodded. He was determined to make this work. Clumsy as they eventually stood, Ed shaking on one weak leg and Mustang bent down because he was much taller, at least they stood at all.

They headed for the back door. Ed only got one good look at the front door, but what he could see, shook him to his core. At least three more monsters were busy clawing through the door. The window was broken – that must’ve been the shattering glass that Ed had heard earlier.

Apparently, Ed had slowed down, because Mustang pulled harshly at his arm. Ed was dragged along. “Ow,” he muttered. “Are you _trying_ to be an ass or does it just come naturally?”

“Neither,” Mustang replied – he was out of breath. “Just trying to survive. Might as well keep some other people alive, as well.” He huffed after a silence as he hoisted Ed through a doorframe. “I don’t blame you much, you know,” he said, “after I heard your story. I kind of understand it. Everything’s just rapidly becoming a mess and I’m trying to keep people from getting hurt.” He eyed Ed. “Guess I failed.”

Ed didn’t really understand. He was too busy trying not to fall over. “Why are you telling me this?”

They were almost at the back door. Just a few seconds, and Ed would see his brother again. And the Rockbells. He had had a few moments where he didn’t think that that would ever happen again.

Mustang fumbled with the doorknob, trying his best to open the door without dropping his gun. He groaned under Ed’s weight. “Ah,” he said, “I just thought that I might as well try to speak my mind. I think we’re going to have to stick together.”

Ed felt a bit of disgust. “Why?”

Mustang laughed sincerely. “You have half of your limbs left. If Hawkeye and I leave you alone, you’ll be three teens and an elderly woman. We know how to use weapons. Seems obvious to me that we should stay to protect you.”

Finally, the door opened. The two stumbled outside, almost falling flat on their faces. Ed threatened to end up on the ground, but Mustang dropped his gun just in time to catch him.

Familiar faces waited outside. Winry had clearly been crying, again – so had Al. Nevertheless, all four people waiting outside looked like they had just discovered a whole new kind of happiness.

They started to speak, but Riza hushed them. She whispered. “You’re going to have to run, now,” she said, “to find somewhere safe. Do you know where you could go?”

Granny thought for a moment, then nodded. “A neighbor’s house. Yes.”

Riza nodded as well. “Good.” She then turned her attention to Ed. “Edward,” she whispered. “I’m sorry I left you in there. I didn’t think. I’m so sorry.”

“Nah. It’s okay. Don’t… I don’t blame you anyway.”

“Do you think that you could run?”

“I'll need some help, but... maybe.”

Mustang found a way to butt into the conversation. “Well, you’re going to have to,” he said. “There’s no choice for you, here. You’re going to have to live, and it’s not going to be easy – for now, at least.” He patted Ed on the shoulder – his non-hurt shoulder, thank God. “Good luck.”

“We will follow as soon as we can,” Riza added, and then straightened up. She looked right past Edward, to where the front of the house was. “Go. Now.”

That was the start of a whole new mess, and a whole new adventure. Ed hadn’t realized yet. He was still too busy trying to figure out what Mustang’s words reminded him of.

-END-


End file.
